Skip to content

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has announced its oldest Earth observation satellite Radarsat-1 is unlikely to recover fully from an anomaly experienced on March 29. After the incident, the satellite was put into “safe mode” while the agency investigates what happened.

Radarsat-1, launched in 1995, has already been operating for 12 years more than it expected five-year lifespan. It is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar, which allows the satellite to capture images of the Earth through clouds, smoke and haze. The data and images collected by Radarsat-1 have been used to track the effects of global climate change and for resource and disaster management by both government and commercial customers. CSA has halted all orders for new imagery, but continues to provide archived data.

The space agency assured that the problems with Radarsat-1 do not have an impact on the country’s security since its successor Radarsat-2, launched in 2007, is working properly. Unlike Radarsat-1, this satellite is not owned and operated by the Canadian government but by MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA). Through an agreement with the government, MDA received partial funding for Radarsat-2’s manufacturing and launch. In exchange the company provides data to the government as long as the satellite is functional.

CSA is currently working on a new generation of Radarsat satellites set for launch in 2018.

Source

CBC

Ottawa

The OBSERVE project has officially ended, with a final event held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in October 2012. The program has fulfilled all of its obligations and delivered more results and deliverables than those agreed to initially by the European Committee and the project’s coordinator. (By Petros Patias, posted on February 13th, 2013)

The most important aims of OBSERVE was the establishment of a permanent network of stakeholders that will continue working for the benefit of the environment in the Balkan area, and the adoption of good practices that have been applied for many years in the rest of Europe. Additionally, recent advances in Earth observation boost the use of novel satellite and in-situ sensors for the sake of the protection of the environment and the sustainable development.

To this extent, the OBSERVE coordinator (The Aristotle University) and other significant partners and coordinators from other cooperating European projects jointed forces and submitted two new proposals that have been initially qualified, currently are under negotiation and will start in June 2013.

The first of the qualified projects is called “IASON – Fostering sustainability and uptake of research results through networking activities in Black Sea and Mediterranean areas.”

Continuing the OBSERVE legacy, it aims at establishing a permanent and sustainable network of scientific and non-scientific institutions, stakeholders and private sector enterprises, located in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The main focal points of the project will be the use and application of Earth observation (EO) in the following topics:

  • Climate changes
  • Resource efficiency
  • Raw material management.

IASON aims at capitalizing on the experiences gained by five projects funded under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7): OBSERVE, enviroGRIDS, GEONETCab, EGIDA, and BalkanGEONet. All of these projects focused on enhancing EO capacities, knowledge and technology in the broader European Union (EU) region. Furthermore, they managed to establish links with a critical mass of research institutions, organizations, public organizations, stakeholders, and policymakers in the Balkan region, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea Basin. In addition, the coordinators of these projects are members of the consortium.

In order to achieve its goal, IASON will engage in:

  • Visible and effective capacity-building and knowledge-transfer activities with regional research institutes and organizations, stakeholders and policymakers
  • Demonstration of economic development through uptake of results, best-case scenarios and success stories
  • Quantifiable engagement of research institutes, projects and networks
  • Identification of projects in the thematic fields that have potential for future cooperation
  • Creation of an innovative web-based common information platform with clustering projects that demonstrate synergy potential.

The second project is called “EOPOWER – Earth Observation for Economic Empowerment.”

Its purpose is to create conditions for sustainable economic development through the increased use of EO products and services for environmental applications. This purpose serves the higher goal of effective use of Earth observation (satellite and in-situ systems) for decision-making and management of economic and sustainable development processes.

The EOPOWER project builds on the results of the GEONetCab, BalkanGEONet, OBSERVE, enviroGRIDS, SEOCA, and EGIDA projects. The GEONetCab project produced global and regional marketing studies, success stories, marketing toolkits and valuable feedback from promotion activities and quick-win projects. This enables the EOPOWER project and the partners involved to benefit fully from the experience of the GEONetCab and the other projects.

The promotion activities of the various projects have been successful, but there are still gaps to be addressed. On the demand side, there are new target groups of potential end-users that are not familiar yet with the possibilities of Earth observation and that have not yet been reached. Involvement of these potential end-users is of cardinal importance for a successful application of Earth observation solutions across the globe. On the supply side, access to data is a necessary condition. The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) will provide this access to data, through the GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI). The EOPOWER project will provide an extra push to stimulate the demand side.

This will be achieved through:

  • Roadshow activities to promote the increased use of EO products and services for environmental applications, including capacity-building
  • A portfolio of potential EO applications for economic development and environmental management
  • The enhancement of the resource facility on capacity-building in the GEO web portal
  • The establishment of local focal points (nodes) that actively promote and provide capacity-building on the use of EO for effective and low-cost environmental applications
  • The establishment of a high-level forum of stakeholders (resource providers, international organizations) that have an interest in EO for economic development and environmental applications
  • The establishment of a central feedback node that digests and shares information on incubators, innovation, successes, experiences, visibility, and provides brokerage and advice on resource mobilization.

Petros Patias, OBSERVE coordinator, is a professor and ex-chairman at the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, board member of the Department of Urban Planning, and Vice Rector at the University of Western Macedonia, Greece. His published work includes six books, four chapters in international books and 161 papers in journals and proceedings.
Source

Subsystem enhancements will provide greater efficiency and cost savings

AURORA, Colo., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Raytheon Company RTN -0.50% was awarded an $8 million contract with NASA Goddard Space Center to upgrade the command, control and telemetry (CCT) subsystems of the Earth Observing System (EOS). Enhancing the CCT subsystem will allow NASA to lower maintenance costs by exploiting automation and virtualization technologies, reducing the number of machines that need to be maintained by 69 percent.

“This contract enables Raytheon to continue our rich history of providing program excellence and reliable engineering solutions to NASA’s earth observation missions,” says James Olson, director of Space and Environmental Missions for Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business. “Today’s budget environment requires innovative solutions to reduce costs. Greater automation will streamline EOS operational costs, and virtualization technologies will cut maintenance costs by minimizing the CCT computing footprint.”

The EOS CCT subsystem evolution and development contract, which supports the Terra, Aqua, Aura and TRMM missions, will continue to give scientists and climate researchers access to valuable data to better understand how the earth’s atmosphere, oceans and lands interact.

Raytheon developed the core components of NASA’s EOS CCT subsystem by integrating its command and control ECLIPSE®-based online software, which became operational in 1999. In addition to automation and enhanced virtualization, Raytheon will continue upgrading the system’s cybersecurity posture by incorporating the evolving National Institute of Standards and Technology-based security controls and updating the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software.

About RaytheonRaytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 91 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems; as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Source

[Satellite TODAY 04-08-13] Matt Perkins, CEO of Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), has been elected Vice-Chair of the U.K. Industry Association for Space (UKspace), the trade association of the UK space industry.

He will take the place of Stuart Martin, who has been appointed CEO of the newly formed Satellite Applications Catapult in January.

UKspace aims to grow the UK space industry, promote awareness in government, media and the public, and act as a forum for discussion about industry challenges. It played an important role in the expansion of the Harwell Space Cluster, the establishment of a Satellite Applications Catapult Centre, and the increasing the UK’s commitment to European Space Agency (ESA) activities.

“This is a pivotal time for the UK space industry, with Government recognizing and supporting our high tech manufacturing and service industries to achieve economic growth and skills development. I believe the UK now has a strong foundation to make a big impact in the global space market and I am delighted that I have been appointed to lead this change during the next two years,” Matt Perkins said in a statement.

Source

(March 2013)

TRE is pleased to announce that they have been awarded the contract to provide JOGMEC with a historical ground movement analysis using InSAR technology to identify surface deformation caused by oil production activities.

This is the first project TRE will carry out for JOGMEC, which has a longstanding commitment to risk prevention and performance maintenance, exploring among innovative solutions and advanced technologies.

About JOGMEC

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) was established on 29th February 2004, for integrating the functions of the former Japan National Oil Corporation and Metal Mining Agency of Japan.

JOGMEC’s activities include financial assistance, technology development and technical support, stockpiling, mine pollution control and overseas field surveys.

For more information

About TRE

Tele-Rilevamento Europa (TRE) is the world leader in ground deformation monitoring services with InSAR technology.

Founded in 2000, TRE is the first of a number of successful spin-off companies from the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) technical University.

TRE measures ground deformation to millimetre accuracy by analysing SAR (Synthetic Aperture radar) satellite images with its latest algorithm: SqueeSAR™ – a unique tool for detecting, measuring and monitoring geophysical phenomena such as: subsidence, uplift, landslides, seismic faults, etc. and verifying the stability of individual structures. Maps of surface deformation provide a quantitative understanding of ground response to both natural and anthropogenic activities.

TRE’s has two offices: Milan and Vancouver.

Source

The Remote Sensing Days conference (Fjärranalysdagarna) is taking place at the Solna Summit venue in Solna, Sweden, on 9th and 10th April 2013.

The Remote Sensing Days conference (Fjärranalysdagarna) is taking place at the Solna Summit venue in Solna, Sweden, on 9th and 10th April 2013. Spacemetric has been invited to make a presentation on the data repository, processing and dissemination solution the company is developing for the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, launched on 11th February from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The Remote Sensing Days conference is being co-arranged by the Swedish National Space Board the Swedish cadastre, mapping & registry authority, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, the Swedish Forest Agency, Swedish Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

Source

The Remote Sensing Days conference (Fjärranalysdagarna) is taking place at the Solna Summit venue in Solna, Sweden, on 9th and 10th April 2013.

The Remote Sensing Days conference (Fjärranalysdagarna) is taking place at the Solna Summit venue in Solna, Sweden, on 9th and 10th April 2013. Spacemetric has been invited to make a presentation on the data repository, processing and dissemination solution the company is developing for the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, launched on 11th February from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The Remote Sensing Days conference is being co-arranged by the Swedish National Space Board the Swedish cadastre, mapping & registry authority, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, the Swedish Forest Agency, Swedish Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

Source

A multi-annual partnership agreement has been signed by France-based reinsurance company CCR (Caisse Centrale de Réassurance) and SERTIT, the regional image processing and remote sensing department at the University of Strasbourg, with the aim of speeding up natural disaster impact assessments. SERTIT receives support from the French Space Agency, CNES, for the development of satellite-based imaging applications.

For many years, CCR has been developing models that simulate natural hazards (including floods, earthquakes, cyclones and droughts) in order to assess the cost of such events within a few days of their occurrence, both for its own purposes and for the French State (its shareholder) and its clientele of insurance companies.

As France is now equipped with new, highly responsive Pléiades satellites, which offer unprecedented capabilities (supplying images with a resolution of 70 cm), this new partnership will enable CCR to benefit from the SERTIT’s internationally renowned expertise. In the event of a major catastrophe, SERTIT will provide CCR with mapping data covering the affected area. CCR will then use that data to adjust its models and refine its estimate of the cost of the event.

For SERTIT and CNES, putting this new satellite imaging technology to this practical use is an ideal way of proving how useful it can be in post-event situations and of promoting the development of applications meeting the needs of civil society. CCR is able to access data from Pléiades via a delegated public service organisation set up by CNES.

This partnership combining expertise in the fields of space, science and reinsurance is driven by the desire to improve our knowledge of natural catastrophes in order to mitigate their consequences.

Source

He will combine this new position with his current post, held since 2005, as SENER’S Director of Space

Madrid, April 3, 2013 – The engineering and technology group SENER has appointed Diego Rodríguez as new Director of Defense, a department that is part of the Aerospace Strategic Business Unit. Diego Rodríguez will coordinate this new responsibility with his work as Director of the Space Department, a position he has held since 2005.

In his new role, Rodríguez will have as main objectives, on the one hand, identifying potential synergies between both departments, through cross-work coordination in the development of products and own technologies, and on the other, enhancing SENER’s globalization in the Aerospace sector by seizing new business opportunities in the international markets.

Diego Rodríguez joined SENER in 1987. In these 26 years, he has spent his entire career working in the fields of Aerospace and Defense engineering. He began working in the company as a Design Engineer in the Electronics and Control section, carrying out later tasks as a Systems Engineer. Since 1995, Rodríguez has held Project Management responsibilities in European Space Agency (ESA) and Defense programs. In 2005, he was appointed Director of the Space Department, a post he will now coordinate with his new position as Director of the Defense Department.

Diego Rodríguez is an Advanced Telecommunications Engineer, graduated from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and has completed the General Management Program PDG at IESE business school. He is member of the Board of the Space Commission of the Spanish Association for Defense, Aeronautics and Space Technologies (TEDAE), being also a board member at the company HISDESAT.

SENER group has a workforce of more than 5,000 professionals, with offices on four continents and a turnover of 1,160 million euros (2011 figures).

About SENER

SENER is a private engineering and technology group founded in 1956, which strives to offer its clients state-of-the-art technological solutions and which enjoys international recognition thanks to its independence and its commitment to innovation and quality. SENER has a workforce of more than 5,000 professionals and a turnover of 1,160 million Euros (2011 figures).

SENER engages in the specific activities of Engineering and Construction, and also holds industrial company shares in firms involved in the field of Energy and Environment, as well as in Aerospace technology. The Engineering and Construction Division, SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A. has become one of the largest engineering companies in Spain, with a turnover of more than 653 million Euros (2011 figures), employing some 2,200 workers and having offices in Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, South Corea, United Arab Emirates, Spain, United States, Japan, Mexico, Poland and Portugal.

Links

ScanEX news from March/April

Satellite imagery data is applied on a regular basis to study and protect the population of animals, biodiversity of any given region, to assess the level of rational nature use, etc. Special attention of the participants of the 6th International Conference “Earth from Space — the Most Effective Solutions” will be drawn to this particular topic.

(Tuesday, 02 April 2013) The Earth from Space –the Most Effective Solutions magazine is the media partner of the joint AfricaGIS 2013 Conference and the GSDI 14 World Conference. According to the conference organizers, “we are now six weeks away from the deadline for abstracts and/or papers for the GSDI World Conference (GSDI 14) and AfricaGIS 2013. This combined conference is being held at the UN Economic Commission for Africa Conference Center in Addis Ababa from November 4-8, 2013”.

ScanEx Center has developed and put into operation a new information service “KosmoInspector” intended for operational satellite-based monitoring of economic activities at remote areas and enterprises. In 2011-2013 the “KosmoInspector” service was tested when carrying out control of illegal economic activities projects, illegal domestic wastes dumps, monitoring of forest logging, emergency response, and houses construction dynamics, etc.

On March 27 the meeting of the “University geoportals (UNIGEO)” Consortium participants took place in Moscow at the Geography Department of the Lomonosov’s MSU. Representatives from 23 higher education institutions out of 27 institutions-members of the Consortium attended the meeting.

On March 26 the nuclear-powered ice-breaker “Taimyr” of the FSUE “Atomflot” successfully completed the escorting the cargo-vessel “Yuri Arshenevsky” brining construction loads to the transpolar Sabetta port on the Yamal peninsula (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area). Space images served as the source of updated information about ice situation along the route of the caravan, navigating through the Kara Sea and Gulf of Ob.

The “Earth from Space –the Most Effective Solutions” magazine is now the information partner of the joint AfricaGIS 2013 Conference and the GSDI 14 World Conference, that will take place at the UN Economic Commission for Africa Conference Center in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia on November 4 – 8, 2013. The joint conference is dedicated to Space Technologies in Support of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction.

Registration to the 6th International Conference “Earth from Space — the Most Effective Solutions” is ongoing. Conference participants will speak about innovations in Earth remote sensing, will share experience in space images applications, including agricultural solutions and effective land management.

More information at